During a Wednesday budget hearing in Washington, D.C., with the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, committee chairman U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) discussed the dire need for "bold, innovative approaches" to improve Americans' health.
Aderholt said he was committed to working with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who testified before the committee, "to find practical, life-affirming solutions to protect access to care and support our rural hospitals and providers."
"Despite spending nearly $2 trillion annually on health care, America continues to face unacceptable health outcomes," Aderholt said. "We need bold, innovative approaches—not simply more spending—to truly improve the health of our citizens. I'm encouraged by Secretary Kennedy's willingness to bring fresh perspectives and reforms to HHS."
Aderholt said many rural communities, like those in Alabama, were facing disproportionately high rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer on top of staffing shortages and mounting pressure at rural hospitals.
"The health care challenges in rural America are urgent and deeply personal for the communities we serve," he said. "I'm committed to working with Secretary Kennedy to find practical, life-affirming solutions to protect access to care and support our rural hospitals and providers."
Aderholt praised Kennedy for his pro-life commitment and credited President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration with the decline in illegal fentanyl and child trafficking across the border.
"The President's actions at the border are not only a national security issue but a public health victory as well," he said.
During the hearing, Kennedy discussed structural reforms at HHS, including creating a new Administration for a Healthy America and overhauling the National Institutes of Health.
"Reforming Washington is never easy," Aderholt said, "but we in Congress stand ready to work with the Secretary and the administration to deliver lasting, meaningful improvements to our health care system."
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